A Virginia judge has ruled that a proposed constitutional amendment allowing Democrats to redraw their Congressional maps is illegal. Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. says Virginia lawmakers’ proposed constitutional amendment was not valid under a technicality under state laws that such proposals must be passed and published by the clerk’s office at least three months before a general election. In October, lawmakers advanced their mid-decade redistricting resolution less than a week before their statewide races. The order potentially foils Democrats’ efforts to pick up seats in the U.S. House this November.

A Virginia judge has ruled that a proposed constitutional amendment letting Democrats redraw the state’s Congressional maps was illegal.